Rug for Sale

If you're in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area and would like to be the new owner of this beautiful rug, give me a shout! My new entry is screaming for a round rug so this one needs to find a new home...is it yours?

Let's get up close and personal...

The color variation in this shot is from the vacuum. See...it's clean!

Expect black and cream and perfect condition. Silky soft. Everyone that walked into our house seemed to be scared of stepping on it, so great efforts went into walking around it!

The details:
Roughly 5ft x 8ft (Specifically, 92.5 in. x 64.5 in.), Price: $275

Send me an email if you're ready to adopt my rug: dfrieling1@gmail.com. Thanks!

Progress...

So, I went into the kids' bathroom this weekend to remove one light fixture and this is what happened...

When I pulled the fixture away from the wall I noticed how easy it'd be to pull back the wallpaper, then suddenly the room looked like a tornado hit!

This is such a beautiful sight! Do you remember where I started? Here's a little something to refresh your memory.

Then, on Sunday, we had out of town family coming over for lunch. Literally, as they walked in the door, I sold my dining room chairs to someone from Craigslist. Woo hoo! Time to break out the folding chairs for lunch.

What's next? I'm still searching, but this is what I've got my eye on...

Low profile and mid-century. Just a little nervous to order something I haven't sat in before. I'll let you know if/when I pull the trigger!

Monochromatic Bookshelves

Bookshelves are styled...for now. I'm not really sure how long they'll stay this way, but they're done and they didn't cost me a penny. That was my goal: don't buy anything for styling, save your money for the big things (cabinet painting, texturing walls, mirror removal, etc.).

They lack color. They're monochromatic. That's on purpose. My best friend in Austin used to ask me when I was going to bring some color into my house. It took me a while to get what she was asking. In my eyes there was plenty of color...gray, black, white, cream. Those are colors, right? ;)

This shelving unit lived outside in our previous house. John and I built it for the patio. Who knew it'd grow up and be able to live indoors one day?!

I like this little section. Read into it as you may, but I see this finger pointing up and it reminds me to keep my eyes focused on what's most important.

Are you tired of seeing sticks and feathers in my house yet? Hope not!

These frames were very inexpensive years ago when I found them at Michaels. They've become one of my favorites and wouldn't you know it...they've stopped carrying them.

Sweet little owl from John's grandma's collection.

Another Grandma treasure. She had good taste, right?!

Goodwill finds and a sweet gift from my sister-in-law.

And, the selves from the Fiddle Leaf Fig's perspective. ;)

So tell me, are you a fan of monochromatic or would the lack of color drive you crazy?

Nursery Design (Ridiculously adorable baby animals)

I was very surprised when my sweet friend/client let me in on the little secret that she's expecting. Luckily, it's not a secret anymore so I'm free to share the sweetness, aka her nursery plans. This is her third child so she's looking for something "clean and classic." No need to go over the top with themes or girly stuff this time around. Third child is lucky to be getting a cutesy room at all, right?

I'm completely in love with the baby animal prints from The Animal Print Shop. So adorable! Sadly, her sister-in-law just used the same prints in their nursery so we had to go with plan B. What are the chances?!

Who wouldn't want to wake up to these adorable faces?...

Lamb Little Darling

Baby Zebra Little Darling

Baby Elephant

Baby Giraffe Little Darling

If you have a second, check out the other projects we've done in their house. Kitchen remodel here and spunky girl room here.

Hope you all have a happy weekend!

Painting Progress

I couldn't take it anymore! Originally, I thought I'd wait until the kids went back to school before I started painting, but the wheat color surrounding us was beginning to feel suffocating. I showed you my top 3 neutral paint picks here. Any guesses which one I decided on?...

I color matched Benjamin Moore's Natural Cream (OC-14) with Behr's Premium Plus Ultra. I'm all about going the easy route and Behr's paint has the primer mixed in so you're only painting one coat instead of multiple coats. Love that!

I'm really pleased with how much brighter the rooms feel. This color definitely reads light gray instead of cream in my opinion. In fact, I don't see cream at all.

So here's the dirt on these colors...Seashell has a slight yellow undertone. Beautiful, but I'm not a yellow person. Swiss Coffee is great and if I had all the mid-century modern furniture I wish I had the budget for, I would have gone this route. It's very light and looks white. Since I live in reality and have to work with my existing furnishings, Natural Cream was the winner. It provides just enough contrast against my white trim and doesn't scare me when it comes to having kids running into gently brushing against it.

How to remove decorative trim from cabinets

I really can't believe this is my last Monday before school starts. This time next week we'll be hurriedly eating breakfast, packing lunches and taking the obligatory first day of school photos. Crazy! I know many of you are already in full swing of things. Is it just me or does summer seem to be getting shorter every year?

We're continuing to tackle projects over here, big and small. Today's post is a small project but it makes a huge difference in my mind. I'm not a huge fan of all the curves present on our kitchen cabinets. Within the first week, I had climbed up to inspect the trim and prayed it'd come down easy.

Here's the before...rope accents not only line the top of cabinets but also run down every edge.

 I was thrilled to learn the small, top piece was merely nailed in with the teeniest of nails. This meant easy removal and zero repair work. Woo hoo!

 I simply wedged a flat head screwdriver between the trim and cabinet. It easily pulled away from the cabinet so with a little more force the pieces ripped right off.

Here's the trim when it's completely detached.

And, the after shot!

Since clean, sleek lines are much more in line with my personal design aesthetic, this simple little change makes a huge difference. Now, if only those big honkin' pieces were going to be as easy to remove! I'm still trying to figure that one out.

Next up? Paint colors for those beautifully green stained babies. Farrow and Ball's downpipe has always been my favorite.

{House & Home}

Farrow and Ball's paint is crazy expensive so I asked my friends at Home Depot if they happened to have the code for this paint in their system and they did!

I bought a sample and I'm currently contemplating if it's right for our space. Since I'm stuck with the countertops due to budget, and I don't have all the beautiful white accents to help balance the dark color, I'm just not sure. Time will tell...

I have a confession...

I'm a selfish person.

I was recently placed in a situation that made me squirm. When we moved, I ended up about 5 minutes away from one of my high school friends. This wasn't on purpose. We were excited to be close to one another and couldn't wait to get together for dinner. And, we did. But, then it came...

"Hey, I don't have anything lined up for my son during the month of August and since we're both working, I was wondering if he could hang out with you guys until school starts?" she asked.

A normal person probably would have been fine with this request, but honestly, it filled me with fear. "Oh my! What am I supposed to do with an extra kid for an entire month?" "What if he doesn't get along with my kids?" "If this doesn't work out is it going to ruin our friendship?" "I can't run around in my pajamas all day doing house projects if someone else's kid is hanging around." "Will my own kids be resentful that I've invited another child into their little world that's brand new?" And, so on...

You see, I've never been a babysitter. Not even when I was younger. I cringed when neighbors would call and ask. I did it, but begrudgingly. My own mom was a bit scared that I'd never have kids of my own because of my dislike towards keeping others'.

But then it hit me. It was as if God was speaking straight to my heart. I said I was going to use this house as a ministry and we've claimed it as God's house, not ours. So if I was going to hold true to this commitment then I had to be willing to help out my friend, even if it meant doing something that made me uncomfortable. 

So, I prayed that God would change my heart and my attitude. Boy, I sure am glad he answered this prayer quicker than he answered my "Help me find a house!" prayer! Within the first week, I quickly realized that I almost denied myself a HUGE blessing simply by being selfish.

My friend's son is a pleasure to be around. He's Bryn's age but Reed's size. He and Reed play beautifully together. This "distraction" has kept Reed out of Bryn's hair therefore; the sibling fighting has been non-existent. Can I get an amen?!! Even though he and Reed spend the majority of the day playing, Bryn has also had a chance to get to know him. They'll go to the same school so there have been many conversations about what it's like and what to expect. This has helped calm Bryn's anxiety about starting a new school in the BIGGEST way.

Once I put aside my selfishness, I was able to see that God knew this little boy was exactly what my family needed! And to think...I thought I was doing my friend a favor.

Picking a Pretty Neutral

The time has come to slap a little, okay a LOT, of paint throughout our house. We're saying bye-bye to the golden wheat color that's everywhere and taking it back to a neutral palette.

Here are my top 3 contenders from Benjamin Moore:

Samples have been purchased and randomly painted all over the house. Then, of course, the poll begins..."Which one do you like?" Then there's the, "Well, I like this one in the morning light and that one in the evening light." Hummm, what to do?

Have any of you ever noticed who many white/cream paints exist? I'm convinced there are millions! As a means of not driving myself batty, I've limited myself to only a handful. Not to mention, you could go broke buying samples and not have any money left to actually paint the rooms when all is said and done!

I'll keep you posted...

Client Before/Afters

I was super thrilled when a client reached out to me with her before/after shots. She contacted me for a consultation back in May. We spent about 2 hours together and I offered her what I like to call a "brain dump." This is where I get to go into your house and dump a ton of ideas on you then you're free to do with them as you please.

She was very upfront about only needing a consultation and knew she didn't need my services beyond that point. Let me tell ya, friends, it's perfectly okay to do this! If you have confidence in your own ability to pick finishes but just need a little direction/push to get started, then by all means hire a designer for a consultation then do the legwork yourself.

I'd say this set up worked out great in my client's situation! She did a killer job at picking finishes and creating a beautiful kitchen.

Here's a different angle but it's during the construction process so the backsplash wasn't installed yet.

Speaking of backsplash...the marble looks gorgeous, doesn't it?!

A big thank you to my client for allowing me to show off her blood, sweat and tears hard work and amazing before/after shots. I'm sure you're absolutely loving your majorly updated kitchen!

How to paint your fireplace surround

Well, the first of MANY projects (besides unpacking) is now complete. I decided to start with something little so I could reward myself with some instant gratification. John looks at this makeover almost daily and constantly says, "Man, I can't get over how much better that looks!"

Here's what I did...a simple little paint job that took less than an hour.

In case you're planning a similar project, here's a quick "how to."

If you use your fireplace, make sure to purchase the High Heat paint so it'll hold up throughout the winter. We don't want all your hard work to be in vain, now do we?

What you'll need: Rust-Oleum High Heat Paint

           150 grit sandpaper

drop cloth

    painter's tape

 paint brush  

sponge

cloth

Step One: 

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:

Step 5: Apply paint with brush. (I must have been super excited and forgot to take a picture of this step. ;)

Step 6: Remove painters tape and admire your handiwork.

Super simple! If this project is on your to-do list, be sure to send me your own before/after pictures. I'd love to share them.

New House Pics (Part 3)

Okay friends, I finally got my act together and finished up taking pictures of our new house. Let me tell ya, this is NOT an easy house to photograph. Funky angles, small spaces, big windows...pretty sure I'm going to have to learn more about my camera if I'm going to keep this blogging thing up!

On to the important stuff...

 We're eagerly anticipating the first cool evening that calls for s'mores in the outdoor fireplace. See the cables and empty mount?...that's one of the televisions that was stolen before we moved in. :(

Across the porch is the "spool." Apparently that's what you call an oversized spa and undersized pool. We're new to this realm so our spool has a nice green tone that shouldn't be there. Yikes! Needless to say we haven't been enjoying this feature yet. Pool school here we come. Did you even know there's such a thing?

 Welcome to our master bedroom, aka, the green box. Have I ever mentioned that ceilings painted the same color as the walls is one of my pet peeves? I can't wait to slap some white paint overhead.

Speaking of overhead, let's take a second to admire the beautiful ceiling fan. Luckily, it's so hot that this baby is running 24/7 which means I don't have to focus on those ginormous blades. My parents will be acquiring this bad boy as soon as we buy a replacement. I'm finding as people come over, you either love this fan or you hate it. Guess which side I'm on?!

Brace yourself for the master bathroom. It's big, has cool angled ceilings and, well yeah, that's about it. The door on the right is hiding the toilet and tiny shower. I'm still scratching my head wondering why, in a space this large, must the shower be so little (and have a gold surround).

I'm thinking Laura Ashley meets Little House on the Prairie. Anyone else get that feeling?

Floral wallpaper's making a comeback, right? ;)

 Another long, narrow room that's hard to photograph, aka the guest bedroom. This room makes me sad. Seeing the "stuff" without the amazing wall of shelves we built just isn't right.

I'm convinced the previous owners had a wine fetish. That's a LOT of wine storage, my friends. And, be sure to take note of the wine bottle light switch cover in the left side of the picture. This is a bizarre, triangular space that currently houses our dogs' kennels, but will one day become a true closet. Right now there isn't a door. Immediately upon walking into the room, this smacks you in the face. 

This room has loads of decorating potential, but currently serves as the "catch all" room.

Ready for some more wallpaper? Here's the kiddos' bathroom. Really wish it had two sinks, there's definitely enough space.

Nothing more to say except...dated!

Loads of lights...ugly lights...10 to be exact.

I've relinquished control and allowed encouraged Bryn to decorate her own room. Remember, it's upstairs and nobody sees it, which will help you understand this next picture. 

 Taped posters of a boy band! Oh, to be a tween again. We'll get serious about her room once we've got this out of our system. But, she LOVES it and that's what really matters.

 We found giant canvases on sale at Michaels and she uses one of them for "Autographs" of anyone who stops by and the other acts as a giant doodle pad for "Drawings."

She has a fun, little window seat that overlooks the pond. How'd she get so lucky?!

Poor Reed got the raw end of the deal and his room is about the size of Bryn's closet. He said he's okay with this because he claims the pond as his room. ha!

I left it up to John and Reed to hang/arrange Reed's room and this is what they came up with. A little off balance, but the two of them were pretty pleased with themselves when they were finished. ;)

 Last, but not least, is the detached garage. It has a hidden surprise up top!

The deck is built around the tree. Love that!

 Welcome to the Man Cave.

 A place to play a few games, as well as watch a few games.

 Wine fridge...remember, wine fetish?

They also left this! My kids have had a blast seeing how we played games back in the day. Frogger, anyone?

Whew, that about wraps things up. Now, if I could just slow down my brain enough to figure out which space to tackle first.